Free writing is a very simple process that has a lot of creative potential and is the starting point for discovering lots of hidden information.

The guidelines for free writing are:

- Write without stopping for a certain period of time, it could be between 10 to 20 minutes.

- Refrain from making corrections as you write.

- Keep writing, even if you must write, “I have no idea what to write”.

- Write anything that comes to your mind.

- Do not judge or censor what you write.

Yes, you got it right! Free writing turns out to be chaotic; actually, if it isn’t, you probably aren’t relaxed enough, but there is no going wrong with free writing.

What matters about free writing is the process, not the result. If you follow the guidelines above, you will be a successful free writer; one that will enjoy all its benefits:

- It makes you more comfortable about writing.

- It helps you get around your inner critic, the one telling you you can’t write.

- It helps release inner anxiety.

- It helps you discover topics to write about.

- It helps you improve your formal writing.

- It is fun.

When practicing free writing, use the tool that makes you feel more comfortable: pen, pencil, computer, or any other. Do not cross anything out, if you have a new idea, write it down, but leave your old idea there too, and forget about punctuation, it will help you write faster and more fluently.

You can use free writing to practice things learned in your ESL lessons . This technique will help you identify errors you commonly make, will help you notice sentence structure voids you may have, will help you understand what tone you use when writing, will help you detect words that you use too much, miss, or employ incorrectly, and basically, will help you understand how your brain is grasping the English language.

You can practice free writing anywhere; take advantage of this technique and use it to boost your learning experience outside the classroom.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention our ESL blog as the original source).

Rachel Clarkson
Rachel Clarkson is an English teacher at LCI English ESL Programs and blogger at the ESL Blog._________________LCI offers the best ESL classes through experienced teachers and high quality programs in Denver, Colorado. Check out great ESL resources and articles at www.englishlci.com/blog